The Art Of Mastering How To Rob (sorta)

{MAY 2ND, 1889}

{RHODES}

Now Lorna knew the art of robbery and thought herself to be okay at it. After all, Alice only had a small amount of time to teacher her in between being a maid and teaching her other important things, such as use a knife properly and efficiently, which in retrospect she was very thankful for.

Let's go back a few days ago, when Lorna was only just reaching the small town of Rhodes. She was able to scavenge enough coins on the ground as she walked down the trail to get her something to eat and drink, as well as bandages and a small amount of medicine for her scratches (and was she ever so grateful that the wolf wasn't rabid and was indeed just hungry), and even a few nights stay at the saloon that they had. However she knew that that money was very limited and would have to soon resort to other ways to get the money.

And she wasn't going to whore herself, that was for sure. She had nothing against women that did it, she just didn't believe herself to be all that good, afterall the only times she had done the act was with the stable boy who was a few years older than herself with just as little experience, causing many awkward encounters. Plus she was missing some digits and had numerous scars, she didn't think men would be into a young women that hadn't been unmarked.

She wouldn't rob women because she found that they always were sober and on high alert, smart as well if you will. It was as well as that they didn't really feel like making out with Lorna, so she couldn't rob them when they had let their guard down.

And so it led to robbing men that were so wasted that they couldn't even see straight when it was late at night and most people had gone to sleep.

It went alright for the first night. She was able to get around $12.55 in just loose change from the pockets of men that she had been making out with, there hands too busy fondling and groping her to notice any different, as well as their mouth being occupied.

It was the second night of her time in Rhodes that was the real problem.

She had began to walk the man upstairs that she had convinced to come with her to have a 'good time'. It helped that the guy was seeing double of everything and didn't know left from right. She lead him into a room and gently pushed him onto the bed before climbing on top of him and straddling him, running her hands all over his chest and sides.

As she smirked seductively down at him, she silently slipped her hand into his pocket finding a few coins, leaning down to giving him a rough kiss to distract him. The man let out a pleasure filled groan as Lorna felt him up. Or at least as far as he knew, she was feeling him up.

The man grabbed a fistful Lorna's hair that she had decided to leave out to make her look more seductive, grinding against her as more groans left his mouth.

"Ah yeah sugar, ah just like that."

Lorna could have rolled her eyes at the way the man was reacting. He wouldn't be acting that way when she would leave him high and dry and wanting more. But that would be when she would make her great escape.

As she continued to let the older man grab at her and dry hump her, she continued to stash any valuables she could find from within his pockets into the left side of her corset, were her breasts hide what was stashed. Just as she was about to push him away, the door was forced open with a heavy bang.

Lorna gave a sharp look to the door, a frown adoring her features as she watched two other men enter the room, one tall and on the fatter side and one smaller and more like a string bean. 'Coulda sworn I made sure that was locked..'

"Walter, ya stupid bastard, ya can't afford a whore.." As one of 'Walter's' friends paused to take in the situation, Lorna quickly got off of the man, making a run for the door that the men were standing in front of. Both moved out of the way with bewildered looks as they watched her run before turning back to there slightly more sober friend who had began to check his pockets before realisation spread across his face.

"That stupid bitch! She tricked me! She fuckin' stole all of ma money! I'm gonna kill 'er!"

Lorna snickered to herself as she walked calmly down the stairs, hearing the shouting coming from the room become louder as they all began shouting and looking for her. She turned to the left at the bottom of the stairs, about to enter her room and see what treasures she was able to snatch, when she was grab by her arm roughly and pulled back into a chest, the sound of a gun being cocked very clear from where to was pointed near her ear towards her head.

'Oh shit, this might actually be bad.' Lorna grimaced at the thought and looked slightly to the left to see that she was being held by the fatter one of Walter's friends, a grin spreading across his face as he released that he had found the right girl. 'Walter' and 'string bean' stood in front as well, a nasty frown spread across his face as he looked at her, or at least tried to.

By now the rest of the establishment was watching the situation and how it would unfold, most warry at the sight of guns.

Lorna took a calming breathe before releasing a sweet grin at all the men, feigning innocence. "And what may be the problem gentlemen? This don't seem like your gonna be very friendly."

'Walter' sneered at her. "Give me back ma stuff, bitch, and maybe a'will let ya walk away without to many wounds."

"Sir, I think you may 'ave mistaken me for someone else. You see, you appear to be half drunk. Why! You can't even stand staight without stumbling slightly to the side." She was really thanking Alice for all those lessons on how to appear innocent now. She just hoped that she was a good enough actress that they would fall for it.

'Walter' clearly didn't appreciate being called drunk as he took a clumsy step forward, before giving her a hard whack across the face, sending her head flying to the left. 'Ah shit,' she gave a grimace at the stinging sensation 'that'll bruise for sure.'

The guy holding her began to pat her down, searching for the stolen goods. When he couldn't find them he released her, pushing her away which caused her to stumble to the ground. "She ain't got shit on 'er. Let's just go."

Lorna watched them all leave to search for the 'right' thief. Once they were out of sight she gave a slight smirk before pushing herself off of the ground and faced the people that were still watching after what had happened. "Thank ya all kindly for the help that all y'all offer. Much appreciated." she gave a sarcastic curtsy before heading to her room. Once she entered she dropped everything she was able to collect from within her corset onto the wooden desk. She collapsed on the bed, minding her sore cheek as she drifted off to sleep.

The next day Lorna was walking around town, collecting food for her supper and few extra blankets when it got cold at night. She was just about to head back to the saloon but paused when she saw the gun shop. 'Hmmm,' she squinted her eyes at the shop before heading in, 'I will be needing somethin' to protect myself with on the road. Can't let nothin' eat me alive, be it man or animal.'

"Afternoon, sir." Lorna said with a nod of the head.

The store clerk nodded back to her. "Afternoon, ma'am. And what can I get for you? Unusual to see a woman in here after all."

Although annoyed by the women comment she plastered on a fake sweet smile. "Why, but I am a small helpless women who has no man to protect myself. I just wanna be sure that I can be safe."

"Ah, right you are ma'am. Here have a look through the catalogue, see if there is anything you may like." The clerk looked hesitant for a second before giving into his thought with a sigh. "And - oh why not - I'll take 30% of the price of the gun because you be all by yourself."

Lorna gave a coy smile to the man. "Why thank you, sir. How kind."

The gun that she ended up picking out was a small cattleman's revolver. Although it wasn't the best, it would still get the job done. She also brought two cartridges of ammunition.

As she was leaving the shop, stuffing the gun into her belt, which was covered by the cardigan she wore, and ammunition into her grocery bag, she spotted the men that had harassed her last night after she had robbed them.

She stopped dead in her tracks and began to walk the other way, hoping they hadn't caught sight of her. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…"

"Hey! You're that bitch that robbed me!"

Lorna glanced back, seeing 'Walter', 'Fatty' and 'String Bean' making a dash her way. 'I thought they believed that I wasn't the one to rob them..'. She took off into a sprint back to the saloon where she hoped there would be somewhere to hide. She crashed through the saloon doors, drawing the attention of the three customers that were in there and the bartender, before she made a mad dash to hide behind the counter.

"Hey! You ain't aloud back here."

Lorna looked towards the bartender and made shushing motions, offering him a few coins to keep quiet. He raised his eyebrows at her but otherwise took the cash quickly when the doors were slammed open again and the treo walked in.

"Any of you seen a brown bitch run in here. We have business wit' 'er."

Before anyone else could speak the bartender spoke, half paying attention to them as he continued to clean glasses like it was any other day. "No gentlemen, but I'm afraid that I will have to ask you to leave if you're going to act in such barbaric ways." He paused for a dramatic effect, causing Lorna to roll her eyes at his acting but keep quiet. "And no, I have not seen a 'brown' women walk in here. If I had I'll surely let you know next time you come in here."

Lorna listened as the men shuffled around no doubt trying to see if the bartender was lying or not.

She heard one of them exhale. "Fine. Let us know next time you see her, she needs to pay." The sound of footsteps exiting the establishment was heard as the walked out the door, the slam of the door following. She waited a few more moments to make sure they were really gone, before jumping up into a sigh of relief, smiling at the bar attendant that still looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Lorna gave a shrug as she sat down on one of the stools. "Hey, gotta make money somehow." she placed a few more coins on the counter. "And can I get a shot of your strongest drink, I'm gonna be needing it."

As he made the drink, he looked at her with a questioning look. "What were they chasing you for? I don't want no trouble in here."

"Stole from the leader looking person cause he was drunk, but I got caught by his friends. I was hoping I wasn't going to run into any of them." She shot the alcohol back as it was handed to her, before cough at the burn it left in her throat. "Holy shit, that is some good strong shit. Any way, names Lorna Cain."

"Henry Coleman. What's a young girl like yourself doin' in these parts all alone?"

"Hey, don't give me that sexist shit, I am a strong independent woman. No man would change that. Plus you ain't that much older then myself." Henry raised his arms sarcastically in surrender. Lorna rolled her eyes at him before chucking another coin onto the counter. "I'll have another one thanks. And to answer your question, I'm on the run. Just got out of Saint Denis a little over a week ago, if ma memory serves correct. I've had a pretty shit run though. Ma horse got spooked and ran with all ma shit, I got attacked by a wolf, which left scars, and I've had to resort to stealing from those that are so drunk they can't see, well that I don't really mind, I do mind being caught though. All I need is a horse and some money and I'll be set to continue ma journeys." She finished her rambling by throwing the shot back and placing it down with a content sigh.

Henry gave a hmm towards her. "Sounds to me like you have some pretty shitty luck."

"Fuckin' tell me about it."

"I think I can help you, or at least get you in the right direction."

Lorna looked at him with a hopeful look. "You'd do that, for little old me."

Henry rolled his eyes at her. "If you drop the innocent act, I guess I can. I feel a bit sorry for you."

"Well if feeling sorry for me gets me somewhere to go, then by all means."

Henry, yet again, rolled his eyes at her, but smiled nonetheless in amusement. "Come back tomorrow afternoon, I'll see if they have any work for you to do down near Emerald Ranch."

Lorna got off of the stool and did a clumsy mocking curtsy, before heading to her room. "Thank you kindly . I'll do anything to repay ya. I mean, to an extent."

{MAY 3RD, 1889}

{RHODES SALOON}

The next day Lorna woke up in the afternoon after spending a majority of the night again robbing people. It was different this time however because she didn't get caught. When she looked outside the window and saw that the sun was well past noon, she quickly hopped out of bed and put on her old maid outfit, that was in a desperate need of a wash, and a worn cardigan. She quickly fixed her hair into two long plaits before trying to shove her boots on, hopping around the room as she did.

Once she was ready she exited her room and headed straight for the bar that Henry was behind, fixing drinks for the few men that loitered around.

She gave Henry a friendly, but coy smile as she leaned against the bar. " , my good friend, how are you?"

Henry chose to ignore her at first in favour of serving drinks towards the men before he turned to her with his own false smile. " , how can I be a good friend when we met yesterday."

Lorna raised her eyebrows at him before giving a dramatic sigh, answering him in the poshest accent she could perform. "My, I hadn't thought that you'd be so hurtful, and yet here you stand sprouting such things." Lorna dropped her dramatics to answer him in all seriousness. "Besides, you been considered a good friend since you decided to help me with those men yesterday, as well as offering to help me with a way out of here."

"Right." Henry looked around him to see if anyone was watching them before leaning in closer to Lorna, who sent him a suggestive look that he returned with narrowed eyes, not amused with her flirting. " , I was able to contact Emerald ranch's owner, and he has had a proposition for you."

Lorna leaned in closer. "I'm listenin'."

"He will get you there fast and safely if you do his dirty work."

"And what the fuck does that entitle?" Lorna asked with a raised eyebrow, slightly suspicious.

"Well it'll mostly mean taken care of the horses. Clean up after them, feed them, exercise them. All that shit." He gave a quick glance around again to make sure that nobody was still paying them any mind before continuing. "But it could also mean eliminating anything that could stand in the way of his business or the safety of his stable."

"So basically a hired gun that mucks up horse shit as well."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Sure if that's what you want to call it. He'll pay you well if your good enough as well. Of course this all has to be discrete and you best to keep your identity covered."

"Yeah well no shit, if somethin' were to happen then I ain't want nobody to know who I am. There is a slight problem though."

"What is it?"

"Ain't never killed nobody before."

Henry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Didn't you say you were on the run? Would it be a problem, cause he ain't gonna take you if you won't do what he wants."

She shook her head in denial. "I don't have a problem killing someone that has done bad. I think. I mean, we'll find out cause I'm taking that job."

Henry smiled towards her before sticking out his hand for a hand shake so that they could seal the deal. Lorna took it without hesitation.

"Good. Now," He glanced down at the clothes that she was wearing and gave a slight grimace. "You're gonna need some new clothes. Some pants and a blouse would fit you good for the job you'll be doing. I should have some smaller stuff in my room that would fit you. Can I trust you to get it without robbing me blind?"

Lorna gave a mock offended look. "How dare you. I wouldn't rob from someone that has helped me so much." and she had meant the last part. She was forever in his debt and would forever be so for all the help he had offered to a complete stranger.

She gave him a slight wave as she headed to his room and he got back to actually doing his job. Once she found his room, she searched through some drawers and found some smaller pair of brown pants, probably from when he was younger. She couldn't find a blouse, cause he was a man and men didn't own blouses, but she did find a larger white shirt that she tucked into the pants that she slipped into. The pants were slipping a bit so she also grabbed one of his belt that, when she eventually came back to this town, she would give back to him. Lastly, although he didn't say she could have it, she slipped on his hat that wasn't too tall, with a rounded crown and wide flat brim. She left a few coins on his table just incase he had wanted the hat. Once she was done she secured her gun onto her belt and a small satchel she had brought from the shops around her waist. She looked at herself in the mirror before giving herself a satisfied looked. " Cain, ya looking good."

Once she exited his room, walking back out into the bar, she stopped sight at seeing the sheriff within the bar, appearing to be asking questions. She quickly hid behind the wall that she had just walked past, leaning slightly around to listen, pushing the hat down to cover her face just incase. As she listen closer she could her the mention of 'women', 'thief' and 'wanted'. That was enough to stay hidden. As she was thinking of a way to get out of this situation, she saw that Henry was looking at her and discreetly pointing towards the back entrance. She gave him a small genuine smile before bring the hat over her face, walking in between people to blend in, and quickly leaving though the back entrance.

"Damn, now that was an adrenaline rush."

"Yeah, and if you don't want to be caught I'd leave now."

Lorna looked over her shoulder as Henry rushed out after her pushing her in the direction of a small carriage that lay waiting. "I was able to set up the carriage for you while you were taking your time getting changed. But you've gotta go now, otherwise you'll be caught."

Lorna tried to resist his pushing to talk to him. "Woah, woah, woah! Hold your horses. At least let me thank you before ya send me on my merry way."

Henry did stopped pushing her, and waited anxiously. "Make it quick, please."

Lorna gave a real smile towards him before pulling him into a quick hug. As he stood stiff and still in the hug, she gave a smirk as she quickly reached up and kissed him on the cheek in thanks. She then let him go and headed towards the carriage, leaving him dazed and slightly confused on why she did it, but not unhappy about it.

Just as she was about to enter, she turned back with a question on the tip of her tongue. "Hey, why did ya decide to help me, a complete stranger that you could get in trouble for helping."

Henry snapped out of his dazed like state to answer her question. "...You remind me of someone." He gave a little smirk before looking her up and down. "It also helps that you've got a pretty face."

Lorna gave him a wink as she enter the carriage, slightly satisfied from the answer and ego boost. "Don't I know it. I'll be back. One day, to pay ya back for everything that ya 'ave done for me." She gave a final wave before the carriage took off.

Henry stood and watched as it went into the distance before shaking his head with a smile and heading back into the bar were he could hopefully clean up the mess she had left behind and get the sheriff out of the bar.

'That woman…'

I love Lorna, and Henry, god I love them both.

This won't be the last time you see Henry don't worry, he becomes very important to Lorna. (If I continue and find the motivation that is lol)

Anyway I hoped that you enjoyed this chapter, being that it was more of a filler chapter than anything.

Next chapter Lorna will have arrived at Emerald Ranch and we will be introduced to a very important character...

PUBLISHED: 11/03/2019

EDITED: -